Ascending OT named Bills' 'most important' contract extension candidate

One outlet has suggested that the Buffalo Bills should ink right tackle Spencer Brown to a contract extension ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) takes the field for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Experienced football coaches and executives often state that sustained success starts in the trenches—that the foundation for a perennially competitive franchise is built across the offensive and defensive lines.

The Buffalo Bills have subscribed to this philosophy since general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott took over in 2017, rebuilding both units in their image to the point that the two, at this juncture, have been quite productive and have maintained continuity over the past several seasons. The offensive line, in particular, figures to return four starters in the 2024 campaign (its lone subtraction being veteran center Mitch Morse), with left tackle Dion Dawkins, left guard (and now center) Connor McGovern, right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, and right tackle Spencer Brown returning from a season ago.

Brown is perhaps the most interesting name of the returning starters, as he’s entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract. An athletic marvel of a third-round pick out of Division 1 FCS school Northern Iowa in the 2021 NFL Draft, Brown is coming off his best season as a professional, starting all 17 games for Buffalo as he showcased improved ability in both pass protection and as a run blocker.

Related: 7 interesting storylines to watch throughout Bills' 2024 NFL training camp

His contract situation is an interesting storyline to monitor in an organization that doesn’t mind getting ahead of the curve and giving ascending players contracts that they feel they’ll ‘play into;’ Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler feels as though Buffalo should extend Brown this summer, identifying the 26-year-old as an extension candidate in an article titled “Every Team’s Most Important Contract Extension Ahead of 2024 NFL season.”

“With $10.1 million available in cap space, Buffalo has the flexibility to extend Spencer Brown if they seem fit,” Fowler wrote. “A mainstay at right tackle in his first three seasons, Brown has provided immense value to the roster after being drafted in the third round.

“While 2023 showcased a few chinks in the armor in Brown's game, keeping camaraderie along a front five can remain synonymous with the overall success of an offensive line. An extension averaging near $7 million annually could be in the ballpark of where Brown could land.”

Related: Former Bills S Micah Hyde opens up about neck injury, playing future

The writer's conclusion is sound, but their analysis is perhaps a bit misguided. It’s true that Brown has started 41 of the 44 professional games he’s appeared in, but “mainstay” at right tackle who “provided immense value” to the roster throughout his first two seasons is not a necessarily accurate assessment. He was almost universally viewed as the weak point of Buffalo’s offensive line entering the 2023 campaign; he showed flashes as a rookie but largely struggled from late in the 2021 season onward, allowing 86 total quarterback pressures over his first two campaigns, per PFF, while also consistently taking penalties (eight in 13 games as a rookie and seven in 14 games as a sophomore).

Brown’s 2023 season was his best as a professional, showing vast improvement as a pass blocker (allowing five hits and 32 hurries, per PFF) while also spreading out his penalties (he still took nine, but he appeared in 17 games in 2023). Many questioned his feasibility as Buffalo’s right tackle entering the 2023 season, something few are doing at this juncture; Fowler, however, suggests that 2023 “showcased a few chinks in the armor.” The former UNI Panther wasn’t flawless, but it was his most promising season yet, a campaign that even makes the idea of an extension practical.

Analysis aside, locking Brown up to a long-term deal would not be a terrible decision on behalf of Buffalo’s brass should it have confidence in his ability to grow further. The team did select two athletic offensive tackles late in the 2024 NFL Draft in UCF lineman Tylan Grable and NFL International Player Pathway Program member Travis Clayton, who are perhaps low-risk, high-reward insurance policies should the team be unable to ultimately come to an extension agreement with Brown. 

—Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI—